Professional athletes, as well as amateurs, desire in an increasing number of sports to electronically keep track of their athletic performance. For example, electronic speedometers with a plurality of functions are nowadays standard equipment for every ambitious race or mountain biker. Small computers are also used for running to count the number of steps, the speed, and thus the covered distance, and can provide additional information.
Whereas it is comparatively easy to mount a computer to a bicycle, there exists a problem in the case of running. On the one hand, the computer should somehow be connected to the shoe in order to reliably detect the steps of the athlete using, for example, a contact sensor, a shock sensor, or an accelerometer in the shoe sole. On the other hand, the computer must be protected against humidity and mechanical damage. Further, the computer should be easily accessible to view the recorded data and to perform inputs, if desired, or to connect the computer to a PC for further evaluating the measured data.
A similar problem occurs if a runner intends to carry other types of computers, such as, for example, a MP3 player. Although it is generally possible to attach such an electronic assembly to the body using a strap or the like, such an attachment can be uncomfortable and impede movement of the wearer during a high performance activity.
There are many approaches known from the prior art as to how to attach computers to a shoe. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,536,139 and 6,278,378 and Japanese Publication No. 60 200120, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference, disclose arrangements where the computer is attached to the laces or the tongue of the shoe. A modification of this design is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,649,552 and 6,183,425, Japanese Publication No. 60 84689, and PCT Publication No. WO 88/04768, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference, where a sensor is integrated into the sole region. The computer, which processes the signals of the sensor to provide useful data, is again arranged in the region of the laces and/or on the instep. U.S. Pat. No. 4,771,394, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, discloses a system where the computer is attached to the heel of the shoe.
All of these arrangements of a computer on a shoe have, however, the disadvantage that the sensitive electronic components of the computer are protected insufficiently against damage. When the runner stumbles or falls, there is a significant risk that the housing of the computer, which is typically made from plastic materials, is subjected to mechanical loads that it can not withstand. Protective coatings, which can be effective, are excluded, since the electronic assembly would reach a size and weight impairing performance of the wearer when the electronic assembly is arranged on the outside of the shoe.
There is, therefore, a need for a shoe that can securely receive an electronic assembly, such as an electronic pedometer, an accelerometer, or a speed sensor, and that overcomes the above discussed disadvantages of the prior art. Furthermore, there is a need for a housing that can securely retain an electronic assembly on a shoe, such that the electronic assembly is permanently protected against damage.